


Priestess

by xenosaurus



Series: The Future Card [4]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Bisexual Character, Established Relationship, F/M, Implied/Referenced Sex, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-27 21:20:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10816965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xenosaurus/pseuds/xenosaurus
Summary: “You work so hard, Makoto.  Making this a place you can relax and smile is important to me.”





	Priestess

Akira's apartment is 45 minutes closer to the school than Makoto's sister's house.  It makes perfect sense for her to stay over when she has classes in the morning.

Of course, this doesn’t explain why she sleeps there on the weekends, or during holidays.  She has no excuses for that.  Akira’s apartment is small, but it’s begun to feel like home.

He keeps her favorite snacks next to the milk candies he likes, and happily shares those when she asks to try them.  She brings her favorite DVDs from her sister’s house and doesn’t bring them back, tilting the balance of his varied collection towards action movies. There’s a section in his closet devoted to her clothes. Her shampoo and face cleanser have taken up residence in his bathroom, nestled in with his shaving cream and toothpaste.  There are always pads under the sink if she needs them, and Akira doesn’t seem squeamish at all about replenishing them.

He seems to genuinely love her sharing his space. Last month, he even bought a ceramic teddy bear to hold their toothbrushes.

“It reminded me of you,” is all he says to explain it, and Makoto smiles to herself whenever she thinks of it.  Akira never comments on her fondness for cute mascot characters, just keeps it in mind when he’s buying things for her, or for them to share.

She notices this habit again when they’re eating breakfast together.  Morgana is eating boiled fish out of a little dish while Akira finishes brewing coffee and Makoto has toast.  The machine is cheap but he manages to get something special out of it anyways.  Sojiro sends Akira home with coffee beans whenever he visits Leblanc, which is a great help.

The mug of coffee Akira brings her is unfamiliar.  There’s a cute Shiba Inu puppy on the side.  Most of Akira’s dish-ware is fairly uniform.

“Is this a new mug?”

Akira takes a sip of his own coffee before responding.

“Do you like it?”

Makoto smiles contentedly and brings the cute mug up to her face.  The coffee is made just the way she likes it, with a hint of vanilla and nutmeg.

“I love it.”

Akira hums his appreciation and sits down to eat his toast. Makoto watches him while she nurses her coffee, thinking. Akira never makes a big deal out of giving her gifts. Even the elegantly prepared White Day gifts she receives every year are presented without any fanfare beyond a sincere smile and a handful of gentle words.

“You know, if you told me you were planning to give me a gift, I would get you something in return,” Makoto says, feeling a little guilty for not addressing this earlier. Akira is an immensely kind person, and she’s long since noticed the pattern.

To her surprise, he ducks his head and smiles at his breakfast.

“Here we go,” Morgana sighs, finishing the last of his fish in a few quick bites. “I’ll see you guys after he’s done being sappy.”

And then the cat is off, headed out through the window to the fire escape. They leave it open for him so he can go out without having to ask someone to open a door. There’s more dignity to it that way.

“Akira?”

“I don’t need anything in return. It makes me happy to see _you_ happy.”

Makoto’s face warms.

“Still!” It isn’t her most eloquent response.

“You work so hard, Makoto. Making this a place you can relax and smile is important to me.”

“W-well…” Makoto takes a deep breath to center herself and gather her thoughts. “It… already was. I don’t need the cute decorations. The person I love lives here.”

Akira makes a soft noise, and when Makoto looks up, he’s absolutely _beaming_ at her. It’s a little embarrassing, but there’s nobody here to judge either of them.

“You’re not making me feel any less inclined to buy you loads of cute decorations,” Akira says, voice warm with affection so thick she could almost touch it.

“Akira,” Makoto says, laughing.

“I’m serious. I know marriage isn’t in the cards until you’ve graduated college, but I want to make as much of a home together as we can right now.”

Makoto’s breath catches in her throat. She has to swallow twice before she can speak.

“Marriage?” The word comes out as almost a gasp.

“I know we haven’t talked about it much, but I aspire to become a man you’d be proud to call your husband. There’s nothing I want more,” His voice is sincere and rich with emotion. Nobody but Akira has ever spoken to her with this combination of respect and affection. It’s special, and even more so in this moment.

Makoto’s heart flutters and she covers her mouth with her hands. The rush of joy and excitement is all-consuming. On some level, she knew their relationship was heading in this direction. Her sister has been making comments about her future that seem to account for a marriage with Akira, and they’ve been sharing a bed for well over a year. Akira has never given her any reason to doubt that he was serious about her.

Still, hearing it out loud is something else entirely.

“Oh, Akira. It would… It would be an honor to be your bride, exactly as you are.”

Makoto is proud of herself for just getting the words out. It pushes the moment into movement. Akira stands up from the table, and Makoto hurries to follow his example. She sees the hug coming, and holds on tight when it arrives. It grounds her in the moment, makes it feel more real.

Akira kisses her temple.

“I love you. I promise I’ll make you happy, no matter what,” He says.

“I know you will. I’ll do the same for you,” She promises.

“And I promise to make my official proposal somewhere more romantic than my kitchenette,” Akira says, a hint of sheepishness in his voice.

Makoto laughs helplessly into his shoulder.

“Good. I’ll look forward to it.”

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr is @[xenosaurus](http://xenosaurus.tumblr.com)


End file.
